Rehabilitation of Criminals in America

Prison inmates, are some of the most ³maladjusted² people in society.   Most of the inmates have


had too little discipline or too much, come from broken homes, and have no self-esteem.   They are very


insecure and are ³at war with themselves as well as with society² (Szumski 20).   Most inmates did not


learn moral values or learn to follow everyday norms.   Also, when most lawbreakers are labeled criminals


they enter the phase of secondary deviance.   They will admit they are criminals or believe it when they


enter the phase of secondary deviance (Doob 171).


        Next, some believe that if we want to rehabilitate criminals we must do more than just send them


to prison.   For instance, we could give them a chance to acquire job skills; which will improve the


chances that inmates will become productive citizens upon release.   The programs must aim to change those


who want to change.   Those who are taught to produce useful goods and to be productive are ³likely to


develop the self-esteem essential to a normal, integrated personality² (Szumski 21).   This kind of


program would provide skills and habits and ³replace the sense of hopelessness² that many inmates have


(Szumski 21).


        Moreover, another technique used to rehabilitate criminals is counseling.   There is two types of


counseling in general, individual and group counseling.   Individual counseling is much more costly than


group counseling.   The aim of group counseling is to develop positive peer pressure that will influence


its members.   One idea in many sociology text is that group problem-solving has definite advantages over


individual problem-solving.   The idea is that a wider variety of solutions can be derived by drawing from


the experience of several people with different backgrounds.   Also one individuals problem might have


already been solved by another group member and can...